Jack Wright, a 1961 graduate, helped ensure quality control throughout the Gateway Arch project, which is celebrating its golden anniversary. Sam O’Keefe/Missouri S&T

Jack Wright‘s first big job after college was in many ways monumental.

As an engineer for MacDonald Construction, the company that was awarded the contract for construction of the Gateway Arch in March 1962, Wright played an important role in creating the “Gateway to the West,” which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The 630-foot-tall Arch is made up of 142 double-walled triangular sections that are covered in quarter-inch-thick stainless steel. The keystone triangular section that connects the north and south legs was put into place on Oct. 28, 1965. It opened to the public in June 1967. [Read more…]